


A Mark of Love

by DragonSlayer96



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Anxiety, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gift, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, M/M, Pampering, Post-Canon, Romance, Self-Esteem Issues, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-28
Updated: 2018-11-28
Packaged: 2019-09-01 16:35:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16768852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonSlayer96/pseuds/DragonSlayer96
Summary: A year has passed since Yuuri and Victor became partners and their anniversary is coming up. With the doubts that Yuuri has been having lately, can Victor get a gift that would help settle Yuuri's mind?





	A Mark of Love

Victor is pacing back and forth, worrying about what gift to give. Their one year anniversary is coming up and Yuuri has hinted at so many things that they want, but no real help about what they actually would enjoy to have. He just got a new pair of skates so he is no longer needing them so Victor is drawing a blank. He is so into his thoughts that he does not hear Yuuri come home, only to realize he is there when he heads in the room.

"You have been acting weird lately. Is everything alright?"

"Yea, everything is alright. Just thinking about stuff. No big deal."

Yuuri says something and Victor waves him off. What would be the one gift that would be special and not end up in the closet or the drawer like all the other gifts that have been exchanged? Yuuri has been oblivious to celebrating all the other anniversaries and only remembers when Victor hands him a gift, always awkwardly giving his a few days after.

It is no surprise that it happens with how busy Yuuri has been, always practicing, striving to get better and stay relevant in skating. It doesn't help that Victor shattered his ankle right after they became a couple and that ended his career. Though the doctors did their best to set his ankle, he still walks with a slight limp and hasn't been able to work since. Everytime Yuuri goes on the ice, part of Victor does worry that one jump, one imperfection of the ice will bring down Yuuri, too. 

Knowing that if he doesn't make dinner Yuuri won't eat, Victor goes to the guest room that has been turned into a room to just relax and knocks to let Yuuri know he is coming in. Popping his head in, he finds Yuuri just listening to soft music, scrolling through his social media. After a brief moment Yuuri looks and waves.

"How are things going, Victor?"

"Going well. What are you in the mood for? I was thinking chicken but I have no idea what you have been eating all day when you are out."

"Whatever you pack me for the day and granola bars is what I eat you silly," a slight laugh leaves Yuuri's throat, "Chicken we haven't had in awhile. I bet you forgot how to make it."

A grin stretches over Yuuri's face and Victor knows he can taste the meal now. Closing the door quietly behind him, Victor heads to the kitchen and pulls out the chicken breasts that he had in the fridge. Pulling out some flour and some seasonings, he prepares the breading and coats the chicken before putting them in a pan to sear as he peels some potatoes. Flipping over the chicken, he puts the potatoes on to boil, slowly humming as he starts a pot for mac and cheese, another for green beans. Checking the chicken, Victor moves them to the oven to finish cooking before starting making gravy for the potatoes. The smell of everything is enticing, filling the house. After the mac and cheese is done, the potatoes are all that is left to be finished. Taking the pot to the sink, Victor drains them only to turn around and see Yuuri dipping a green bean in the gravy. A horrid look is on Yuuri's face from being caught. Grinning, Victor gives his ass a slight pat.

"I knew you were hungry, but not this hungry. Dinner will only take a few more minutes so wash up. By the time you are done it should be coming out to you."

Victor watches his partner walk out of the kitchen, enjoying the sight before he goes back to finishing the dinner. Bringing the food out to the table, he sees that Yuuri overexerted himself again today. Victor knows that the competitions are close but does not want Yuuri hurt trying to push his limits, just trying to rely less on Victor’s money. After food is on plates, his thoughts are fully formed.

"Yuuri, you have this Saturday off so you can rest, right?"

"Yes," is said with a piece of chicken going in, "I was hoping you would help me get my blades just right. Though the new ones are amazing, they are just slightly off and throwing off my jumps."

"Alright. After I adjust them, would you be willing to help me shop for something? I just don't want to get it and you hate it."

A leery look comes from Yuuri. "What did you do? Did you accidently shrink one of my suits again because you put it in the regular laundry?"

"No, no, no! It's nothing bad," quickly came out, "I just know you hate surprises so I don't want to just get it and you get upset that we didn't talk about it first."

The leery look stays, "I hope it isn't anything bad. You have me tomorrow."

The fork scrapes across the plate as Yuuri gets the last little bit of food off of his plate. As he gets up, a slight wince spreads across is face from his aching body. Victor wants the season to end just so Yuuri can rest his body and heal up. After the table is cleared, a quick swing by the guest room tells Victor that Yuuri is in there trying to calm his mind for agreeing to go on a sudden date. Going into the bathroom, he draws a bath, adding some oils and salts to the water to help with soothing and relaxation. Seeing the steam roll off of the water, he heads back to the guest room, giving it a knock before poking his head in.

"Hey Yuuri, I have something for you when you are ready."

With a lazy turn of the head, he looks at Victor. He can tell Yuuri just wants to crash but the attention of his fans is keeping him up. It seems like he is addicted to what they say about him, going over every little detail that they say to improve his next performance. He has seen Yuuri stay up all night before a competition more than once just to see what his fans are saying, worrying how he is going to impress them this time and if they like what he does. It's gotten bad enough that Victor has had to unplug the wi-fi router a few times just so Yuuri will go to bed after a few minutes of frustration. With how sporadic Victor has woken up next to Yuuri lately he thinks it is starting to happen again. 

With a few more keystrokes, Yuuri stretches and gets up, rubbing his eyes before asking, "So what is this special thing you have planned? If it's just sex, I'll pass tonight. Too tired."

Concern spreads over Victor's face. "Though sex is special, that's not it. You're tense, hurt. A long soak is what you need, some care. The bath is ready, all that is missing is you."

Yuuri looks away, "I thought you wouldn't notice."

"We have been a couple for a year and friends much longer than that," Victor says as he takes a step closer, reaching up to gently caress Yuuri's cheek, "If I couldn't pick up on these things when you're trying to hide them, what sort of a partner would I be to you?"

Yuuri reaches up and puts his hand on Victors. A small tear appears at the corner of Yuuri's eye as he mouths 'thank you'. Taking his hand, Victor leads his partner to the bathroom. As the door opens, a wave of steam comes out and the smell of lavender follows close behind. A slight undertone of coconut oil mingles with it to create a very unique fragrance, enticing them to enter. 

Yuuri just stands there, not even attempting to remove his hoodie. Trying to be helpful, Victor tries to help take it off only to be turned away by Yuuri. Another try only leads to Yuuri taking a step back, worry in his eyes. Irritation comes to Victor's mind for a split second before realizing he might be doing it wrong.

"Did something happen today? This isn't the Yuuri that I've grown to love."

"It was....long, that's all."

"You've had other long days and not been like this," a sigh escapes, "I can't help you through it if I don't know what it is."

With no response, Victor attempts again and Yuuri allows the hoodie to come off reluctantly. It surprises him to see Yuuri's forearms are covered in bruises from what he assumes are falls on the ice. Yuuri lips quiver as he tries to hide them.

"Yuuri-"

"It's not what you think... The fans, they keep on wanting more. They are getting tired of my routine."

"That one person that says that stuff just wants to see you be too hurt to compete."

"It's not just him... More are starting to say that they want something new, that I'm washed up, outdated. They send me videos of the newer skaters' routines and I need to be better than them..."

"One decent practice doesn't mean that is how good they really are, Yuuri. Even for my routines, some of them I only managed to pull off once in practice. If I would've competed the day after I did that, I would've failed, Yuuri."

"What new thing have I done lately? Nothing. All I do is the same old moves over and over. I wonder why people even want to watch me skate anymore."

"We watch you because we enjoy you on the ice. You stun us every time you do a routine. To us, it's like Christmas morning and we have hundreds of gifts. When you have so many people cheering you on, why do you not believe us but that one or two negative people?"

A long pause stretches between them. Yuuri tries his best to keep together but is losing the battle the longer they stand. Victor wants to just hug Yuuri but doesn't know how he would react to the sudden show of affection. The last thing is for him to take it the wrong way. 

"Just say it. I'm worthless, pathetic, and won't do anything. You hate me because I push too hard," is said as tears start to stream down Yuuri's face.

Wrapping his arms around his partner, Victor brings him close and whispers in his ear, "Yuuri, I love you. If I did not, I would not still be here. You are my world and have done great things. I can't imagine my life without you. I can't hate what completes me."

Yuuri embraces Victor as tears start to flow freely. Silent sobs escapes him, leaning on Victor, letting him hold him up. Slowly sitting down, Victor pulls Yuuri on his lap, rocking him back and forth, gently petting his head. Soft kisses dot the top of Yuuri's head and forehead. The quivers slowly subside and Yuuri's breathing gets more even.Victor gives his partner's back a loving rub, wishing he can take the pain away.

"Are you feeling well enough to finish getting ready for the bath?"

Yuuri gives a slight nod against Victor's neck before slowly breaking the embrace. Reluctantly, Yuuri stands up and removes his pants. Bruises adorn his knees and his ankles. Looking away, the word 'sorry' escapes his lips as more tears start streaming down his face. Victor wraps his arms around him again, the kind words of "it's alright, we will get through this" tickles Yuuri's ear. Victor's hands go down to his waist, slipping into his boxers before he takes them off, bruises surrounding his hips. Picking Yuuri up, he gently lowers him into the water. A gasp escapes Yuuri as he touches the steamy water before relaxation spreads across his face. Victor dips a washrag in the water, draping it across Yuuri's forehead. After a few moments of relaxation, Yuuri dozes off, snoring ever so slightly.

"All these things you do and you think I don't notice them," he sighs. "I appreciate all that you do for me. I know I should point them out more but I don't want to make you uncomfortable. I'm hard on you because I care. I'm hard on you because I want you to be the best you can be," reaching up, he plays with his necklace. "Even your first gift to me I've kept. Yeah, you were drunk when you gave it to me and don't remember doing it, it's still special to me. It holds too many good memories to want to put it in a box, to even take it off. Even when you are away from me I still have part of you with me, always giving me support.

"My heart broke after my last love and I told myself I wouldn't do it again... That was before I saw you. I thought those people who believed in love at first sight were weird until it happened to me. When you walked out of my life my heart ached so much, wanting you back in my life. I became obsessed trying to find you and one day you just appeared before me again, skating my old routine. The fates were with me that day," he chuckles, "A small part of me wanted to just say it's a dream and ignore it. My heart is what made me reach out, finding you and becoming your coach. In all, it's the best choice in my life. I'm finally with the person who makes my life complete, whole. You make life worth living now, especially since I won't ever be able to be on the ice anymore. It's just hard to show how much you mean to me, how much you have improved my life. Unlike all the others, you have given me life, not take it from me.

"I'm just lost on how to tell you to not push your limits anymore when I've coached you like that for so long. It's not about the gold anymore; I just want to keep you. An injury like I had and I don't know if I would have the same Yuuri afterwards," he sighs deeply, gathering his thoughts for a few moments before he talks again. "You crave any praise, any affection to the point that it's going to destroy you. It seems like that's all that does motivate you now. I've seen you break down over one comment about how you didn't do the right combination in your performance, even when you have hundreds that praise you for it. I'm still waiting for that change were you can pull away from your fanbase and still feel like you accomplish something with your life."

Yuuri moans a little before getting a better position in the silken water. "I just hope you enjoy what I want to do with you tomorrow. I know you probably will forget about our anniversary again but I don't care. With all the doubts running through your head, I want to calm the one about us as much as I can. Do you still fear that I'll leave you if you don't get another gold? Is that why you do this to your body?" Victor knows he won't get a response from a sleeping person, but he doesn't care. Speaking out loud helps him sort out his thoughts. His biggest fear is that Yuuri will wake up and hear him before he is ready to fully tell him though, "I know that I can't change the past but I'll be damned if I ruin our future together. All the time, all the energy we have put into this... I won't fuck this up" a fist slams on the edge of the bathtub, sloshing the water slightly. A murmur comes out of Yuuri but he is too deep in sleep to care. "I still wake up daily, wondering when this dream will end and you won't be here. Will tonight be the last night we share a bed? Has my constant pushing finally been too much for you to bear? Have I put myself before you one too many times by wanting to go on a date with you on our anniversary when I know all you really want to do is just lounge around the house and relax on one of your very few days off?

"So much of the reassurance I give you is to reassure myself about us. I don't want to lose you but it seems like every last mistake I do will make you finally want to end it. I wish I had some sort of roadmap to having a partner. I'm tired of every bump in the road I imagine it's the cliff that will finally destroy us," a heavy sigh comes out, "Will this feeling ever stop? All I want is a good life for us, for you to be happy. Is that too much to want, too much to ask for? In the end, that's all I really want. The money we have, the fame, the medals I've won......I'll gladly give them away if I know we will have a happy life together. You don't have to achieve all that I have done for me to want to stay with you. I lose my reason to live if you leave. You are what keeps me going, you are my heart. I just hope that tomorrow can go as well as I hope it will go."

...

The morning did not go how Victor even remotely wanted it to go. What woke him up was not the alarm or his normal sleep schedule but the smoke detector blaring. With the bed empty his first thought is to find Yuuri. Tossing off the covers, he runs to the door in just his boxers. Not even caring, he opens the door, thankful that just some smoke came into the room. Clanking comes from the kitchen and he heads that way. That's where all the smoke is coming from so it makes sense to go towards it anyway. As he rounds the corner, he sees smoke coming out of pans on the stove and Yuuri dousing another pan with running water, the hiss from the heat makes Victor wince as he sees the new pans being treated that way.

"Yuuri, what are you doing?"

Yuuri jumps before turning around, staring at Victor. His eyes widen as he drops the pan in the sink. A loud clank rings out and Yuuri flinches. Overcooked bacon pops, making Victor look and see smoke starting to come out of the pan. He quickly goes over to the stove, turning off the burners and trying to keep the food from burning anymore than they already have. Looking back at Yuuri, he sees his lip quivering before he bites it. Covering his face, Yuuri sinks down, putting his back against the cupboard. Yuuri takes in shuddering breaths but no noise comes out. After a few breaths the tears finally make it to the end of Yuuri's nose, pooling before finally dripping down into his lap. Victor walks over and places a hand on Yuuri's shoulder. Yuuri takes a quick breath in and just freezes, even to the point where it seems like the tears themselves stop midway through their descent. Victor can feel the muscles under his hand twitch.

"Yuuri, I'm not upset at you," the muscles tighten, ready to protect for what's to come, "I'm actually very proud of you. Even when I think you have given your all, you somehow give more," Victor slowly moves his hand to Yuuri's head, gently petting and rubbing it, "I'm glad that you are in my life."

"How can you be proud of something that just causes more problems for you?" Yuuri whispers spitefully, "What was the last time I did do something right?"

"You do so much right-"

"Quit avoiding the question! You always do this when I ask! I can't even cook right!" Yuuri looks at Victor. His look is one of pain, of hurt, not of anger, "Everything I do always ends up wrong... All I wanted to do was cook breakfast for us and I couldn't even do that."

"Yuuri, food can be replaced. You have been under so much stress I'm surprised you even woke up before me, let alone try to cook. I just want you happy and taken care of."

They sit on the kitchen floor for what seems like hours. Yuuri slowly calms down and collects himself as Victor gently holds him, rubbing his back and head. The sun is starting to peek through the windows before Yuuri is ready to leave Victor's grasp. As he goes to rummage for some clothes, Victor scrapes the burnt food into the trash can. He only has enough time to start to soak the pans before Yuuri comes out of the room. Looking at Yuuri, Victor realizes that he hasn't dressed for the day yet. He feels awkward as he slips past his partner to get dressed for the day also. Coming out of the room, he smiles as he sees Yuuri waiting on him. Giving him a kiss, Victor opens the door for Yuuri, locking it behind them and heading off for their date. 

...

With Yuuri uneasy at every restaurant that they pass from how crowded they are, they go through a drive-thru for something small to eat. Though hungry, Yuuri manages to not dive into the bag until Victor can pull over so they can both enjoy their breakfast. After a few moments, they pull into a little spot by a river. Cracking the windows, the sounds of nature drift in. Yuuri looks more relaxed being away from all the stresses of life.

Digging through the bag, Victor hands Yuuri his sandwiches . By the time Victor gets his out of the bag, Yuuri has scarved down one of his. He is about to unwrap his second then realizes he is not alone. Putting down the sandwich, Yuuri looks out over the river. He watches the fish swim under the water and a few come up, grabbing at the insects that dare get too close to the water. Absentmindedly, Yuuri picks up his sandwich and starts to eat it. He is focusing so much on the river that he doesn't even notice Victor starting up the car until it starts to move.

As Victor drives, Yuuri gazes at the few wispy clouds in the sky, not wanting to focus on the chaos that is on the streets. After a few turns, Victor pulls into a parking lot and turns off the car. Yuuri looks around confused, not knowing where they are.

"We're here," Victor says as he looks at Yuuri, smiling.

"Where is… here?" a bewildered Yuuri responds. Worry starts to show on his face.

"Somewhere that you have told me you wanted to go more than once," Victor says as he opens the door, "Now are you going to come or just sit in the car all day?"

Regretfully, Yuuri gets out of the car only to go and cling to Victor. With this being a new place, Yuuri wants all the comfort he can get. Victor wraps his arm around Yuuri to help comfort him as they walk to one of the shops. The bell jingles as they walk in and Yuuri is amazed by the drawings he sees in front of him. Like a kid in a candy shop, Yuuri is darting around wanting all of the drawings his eyes lays on. Victor chuckles as he watches his partner go around the shop, enjoying that Yuuri has just pure elation on his face for the first time in four months. Slowly walking behind him, Victor taps his partner's shoulder.

"So have you made up your mind yet?"

"I want them all," Yuuri quickly says before realizing what he said.

A light laugh comes out as Victor responds with, "Is there any that stands out more than the others?"

Yuuri points at one, "This one... but they are so expensive..." he adds sheepishly.

"Do you think we came here to only look at them?" Yuuri avoids Victor's eyes. "I wouldn't do that to you. Of course you can get what you want."

Yuuri then makes the point, “You know I can’t get a real tattoo, right?”

Victor side eyes him and counters, “They do henna as well. I know you can’t get a real tattoo… yet. Go on, pick one out.”

A smile spreads across Yuuri's face as the walk up to the artist. After talking through what they want, they head over to a table and wait for the artist to get their paint out. With squeeze bottles of the paint material and stencils ready, the artist grabs Yuuri's hand and gently starts to work on the tattoo. With quick and deft strokes, the design starts to sprawl across his hand. Yuuri relaxes as his hand is worked on, creating the artwork that struck his eye so much. After a few hours of detailed work, the artist finally puts down the stencils. Yuuri's hand is covered with a snowflake in the center, branching out into stems and vines, ending with flowers. Some of them are roses, others mums, even things like snapdragons are painted on his hand, fingers and wrist. With a word of how to take care of the tattoo, Yuuri and Victor head back to the car. The car starts up and Yuuri relaxes as the car goes down the streets.

"Thanks for the gift," Yuuri says on the way home. He knows he should not be touching it, but he does anyway. "What will I say when they see it?"

Victor leans over and kisses Yuuri, " Just say it is a gift of love."

Yuuri blushes and turns away. After a blink or two, he composes himself and turns back, returning the kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> This was beta-read by RoseusJaeger and a great many thanks do go to them. I also want to thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this fic. I do truly hope that you did enjoy what I created. If you have any thoughts about this fic, I would enjoy to hear them also.


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